American President, Donald Trump
announced that a coalition of America, Britain and France have begun airstrikes
against the Syrian government to punish its alleged chemical attack that
presumably killed more than 70 people.

He announced the airstrikes in a
national address on Friday evening, saying the airstrikes would target the
Syrian government chemical weapon capabilities.

America President Donald Trump’s statement:

My fellow Americans, a short time
ago, I ordered the United States Armed Forces to launch precision strikes on
targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator
Bashar al-Assad. A combined operation with the armed forces of France and the
United Kingdom is now underway. We thank them both.

Tonight, I want to speak with you
about why we have taken this action.

One year ago, Assad launched a
savage chemical weapons attack against his own innocent people. The United
States responded with 58 missile strikes that destroyed 20 percent of the
Syrian Air Force.

Last Saturday, the Assad regime
again deployed chemical weapons to slaughter innocent civilians — this time, in
the town of Douma, near the Syrian capital of Damascus. This massacre was a
significant escalation in a pattern of chemical weapons use by that very
terrible regime.

The evil and the despicable
attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children, thrashing in pain and
gasping for air. These are not the actions of a man; they are crimes of a
monster instead.

Following the horrors of World
War I a century ago, civilized nations joined together to ban chemical warfare.
Chemical weapons are uniquely dangerous not only because they inflict gruesome
suffering, but because even small amounts can unleash widespread devastation.

The purpose of our actions
tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread, and
use of chemical weapons. Establishing this deterrent is a vital national
security interest of the United States. The combined American, British, and
French response to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our
national power — military, economic, and diplomatic. We are prepared to sustain
this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical
agents.

I also have a message tonight for
the two governments most responsible for supporting, equipping, and financing
the criminal Assad regime.

To Iran, and to Russia, I ask:
What kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent
men, women, and children?

The nations of the world can be
judged by the friends they keep. No nation can succeed in the long run by
promoting rogue states, brutal tyrants, and murderous dictators.

In 2013, President Putin and his
government promised the world that they would guarantee the elimination of
Syria’s chemical weapons. Assad’s recent attack — and today’s response — are
the direct result of Russia’s failure to keep that promise.

Russia must decide if it will
continue down this dark path, or if it will join with civilized nations as a
force for stability and peace. Hopefully, someday we’ll get along with Russia,
and maybe even Iran — but maybe not.

I will say this: The United
States has a lot to offer, with the greatest and most powerful economy in the
history of the world.

In Syria, the United States —
with but a small force being used to eliminate what is left of ISIS — is doing
what is necessary to protect the American people. Over the last year, nearly
100 percent of the territory once controlled by the so-called ISIS caliphate in
Syria and Iraq has been liberated and eliminated.

The United States has also
rebuilt our friendships across the Middle East. We have asked our partners to
take greater responsibility for securing their home region, including
contributing large amounts of money for the resources, equipment, and all of
the anti-ISIS effort. Increased engagement from our friends, including Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, and others can ensure that Iran
does not profit from the eradication of ISIS.

America does not seek an
indefinite presence in Syria under no circumstances. As other nations step up
their contributions, we look forward to the day when we can bring our warriors
home. And great warriors they are.

Looking around our very troubled
world, Americans have no illusions. We cannot purge the world of evil, or act
everywhere there is tyranny.

No amount of American blood or
treasure can produce lasting peace and security in the Middle East. It’s a
troubled place. We will try to make it better, but it is a troubled place. The
United States will be a partner and a friend, but the fate of the region lies
in the hands of its own people.

In the last century, we looked
straight into the darkest places of the human soul. We saw the anguish that can
be unleashed and the evil that can take hold. By the end of the World War I,
more than one million people had been killed or injured by chemical weapons. We
never want to see that ghastly specter return.

So today, the nations of Britain,
France, and the United States of America have marshaled their righteous power
against barbarism and brutality.

Tonight, I ask all Americans to
say a prayer for our noble warriors and our allies as they carry out their
missions.

We pray that God will bring
comfort to those suffering in Syria. We pray that God will guide the whole
region toward a future of dignity and of peace.

And we pray that God will
continue to watch over and bless the United States of America.

Thank you, and goodnight. Thank
you.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s statement:

“This evening I have authorised
British armed forces to conduct co-ordinated and targeted strikes to degrade
the Syrian Regime’s chemical weapons capability and deter their use. We are
acting together with our American and French allies. In Douma, last Saturday a
chemical weapons attack killed up to 75 people, including young children, in
circumstances of pure horror.

“The fact of this attack should surprise
no-one. The Syrian Regime has a history of using chemical weapons against its
own people in the most cruel and abhorrent way. And a significant body of
information including intelligence indicates the Syrian Regime is responsible
for this latest attack. This persistent pattern of behaviour must be stopped –
not just to protect innocent people in Syria from the horrific deaths and
casualties caused by chemical weapons but also because we cannot allow the
erosion of the international norm that prevents the use of these weapons.

“We have sought to use every
possible diplomatic channel to achieve this. But our efforts have been
repeatedly thwarted. Even this week the Russians vetoed a Resolution at the UN
Security Council which would have established an independent investigation into
the Douma attack. So there is no practicable alternative to the use of force to
degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Regime.

“This is not about intervening in
a civil war. It is not about regime change. It is about a limited and targeted
strike that does not further escalate tensions in the region and that does
everything possible to prevent civilian casualties. And while this action is
specifically about deterring the Syrian Regime, it will also send a clear
signal to anyone else who believes they can use chemical weapons with impunity.

“At this time, my thoughts are with our brave
British servicemen and women – and our French and American partners – who are
carrying out their duty with the greatest professionalism. The speed with which
we are acting is essential in co-operating with our partners to alleviate
further humanitarian suffering and to maintain the vital security of our operations.

“This is the first time as Prime
Minister that I have had to take the decision to commit our armed forces in
combat – and it is not a decision I have taken lightly. I have done so because
I judge this action to be in Britain’s national interest. We cannot allow the
use of chemical weapons to become normalised – within Syria, on the streets of
the UK, or anywhere else in our world. We would have preferred an alternative
path. But on this occasion there is none.

“History teaches us that the
international community must defend the global rules and standards that keep us
all safe. That is what our country has always done. And what we will continue
to do.”

France President Emmanuel Macron’s statement:

On Saturday, April 7, 2018, in
Douma, dozens of men, women and children were massacred by chemical weapons, in
total violation of international law and United Nations Security Council
resolutions.

The facts and the responsibility
of the Syrian regime are not in any doubt.

The red line set by France in May
2017 has been crossed.

I have thus ordered the French
forces to intervene tonight, as part of an international operation with the
United States of America and the United Kingdom, directed against the hidden
chemical arsenal of the Syrian regime.

Our response has been limited to
hitting the capacities of the Syrian regime that permit the production and use
of chemical weapons.

We cannot tolerate the
trivialization of chemical weapons, which is an immediate danger for the Syrian
people and our collective security. This is the direction of the diplomatic
initiatives put forward by France at the United Nations Security Council.

From today, France and its
partners will renew their efforts at the United Nations to allow the establishment
of an international mechanism to establish responsibility, prevent impunity and
prevent any recurrence by the Syrian regime.

Since May 2017, the priorities of
France in Syria have been constant: End the fight against Daesh [Islamic
State], permit access for humanitarian aid to the Syrian civilian populations,
to find a political resolution to the conflict so that Syria can finally live
at peace, and to ensure the stability of the region.

I will pursue these priorities
with determination in the days and weeks to come.

In conformity with Article 35,
Line 2 of the Constitution, the Parliament will be informed and a parliamentary
debate will be organized, following this decision to use our armed forces in an
overseas operation.